After Kerala Floods, Leptospirosis Outbreak Kills 10 People: Here’s How You Can Prevent the Deadly Bacterial Infection

In the month of July, Kerala saw the worst results of heavy rains than any state. It was severely hit by floods because of unusually high rainfall. The south-Indian state hadn't seen anything like this in about a century, a menace that killed over 500 people and left a huge number of people missing. According to reports almost about a million people were evacuated from places like Pandanad, Chalakudy, Chengannur, Aluva, Aranmula, Kuttanad etc. and all the 14 districts of the state were on red alert. About one-sixth of the total population of Kerala had been directly affected by the floods- Level 3 Calamity, or "calamity of a severe nature". Heart-breaking Videos of People Stranded in Rains, Asking Help From Authorities showed the real condition of Kerala and the misery.

A huge applaud to the Indian army who helped control the situation in Kerala Army. However, amidst all these problems, floods also come with a lot of hidden diseases, which if not stopped can turn into an unstoppable outbreak. One such disease is Leptospirosis. According to the news agency, ANI's latest tweet, a number of people have died due to Leptospirosis. The tweet reads, '10 people have died between August 1 and September 2 in #Kerala from Leptospirosis. 302 confirmed and 719 suspected cases of the bacterial disease have been reported in the state since August 1, most of them in Kozhikode district.' Here's the tweet:

What Is Leptospirosis?

A bacterial infection that spreads through animals like dogs, rodents, and farm animals via their urine. Usually, the animals don't the symptoms but can become the carrier of the virus and affect humans easily. While this may not be life-threatening if medical attention is provided, however, in severe cases similar to Kerala like floods may act as a perfect breeding ground for the infection. In severe cases of leptospirosis, you may get better then get the infection again which is technically called the Weil’s disease and can have severe outcomes.

A study defines Leptospirosis by saying, 'Leptospirosis is an infectious disorder of animals and humans. It is the most common zoonotic infection in the world. It is easily transmitted from infected animals through their urine, either directly or through infected soil or water. It can cause a self-limiting influenza-like illness or a much more serious disease. It is known as Weil disease, and it can progress to multiorgan failure with the potential for death.'

What Are the Symptoms of Leptospirosis?

The signs of leptospirosis don't show immediately but within 2 weeks some cases may show a few symptoms that may indicate leptospirosis. However, in some cases, there may not be any symptoms at all or may show up in a month or so.

• High fever
• Muscle pain
• Headaches
• Jaundice(skin colour turning yellowish along with your eye colour and the colour of your pee)
• Diarrhoea
• Vomiting
• Skin rash
• Myalgia
• Abdominal pain

How to Prevent Leptospirosis in Kerala-Like Flood Conditions?

1. Stay away from infected animals, especially wild rats as they are the most infected carriers of this infection.
2. Keep disinfectant like bleach, acid solutions and iodine around you. They have been known to help kill the bacteria and clean the infection.
3. If there is a flood-like condition you must cover cuts or abrasions on your body with waterproof bandages. And make sure you seal the wound well.
4. Try to not swallow or submerge in flood water as the flood water runoff may have animal urine in it.
5. Wear as much waterproof protective clothing as you can to keep yourself dry.
6. Check the food that you eat for any kind of bites by the rodents.

Various recent outbreaks of leptospirosis have been linked to the climatic changes and human activity. A study says, 'Several recent outbreaks of leptospirosis have drawn attention to the potential effects of climate change and human activity on the incidence of the disease and the broad spectrum of clinical manifestations. The development of several promising approaches to rapid diagnosis has been based largely on the recognition that early initiation of antibiotic therapy is important in acute disease, but also on the need for simpler assays which can be used more widely.' Human activities like excessive usage of plastic is also becoming a major concern, Kerala Floods: Pic of Large Amount Of Plastic Thrown Back by Nature on a Bridge After Water Level Recedes is a Wake-up call.

(References:  Leptospirosis (Weil Disease)/  Leptospirosis. / Leptospirosis Paul N. Levett/ Leptospirosis in humans.)

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Sep 03, 2018 11:56 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).